Answering the Jehovah's Witnesses (Part 6)

Most of us have had the Jehovah's Witnesses knock on our door before, and considering their relentless devotion to door-to-door evangelism, we will certainly have more encounters with them in the future. In this series of articles, my goal is to offer simple explanations and arguments regarding one of the most glaring errors of the Watchtower Society - their rejection of the deity of Christ. This article is "Part 6" in this series. If this subject interests you, I encourage you to go all the way back to the beginning, to Part 1. There are links at the end of each article that will take you to the next article in the series.

In an effort to prove that Jesus is not on par with the Father in terms of divine nature, the Jehovah's Witnesses will sometimes point to certain verses in the New Testament that seem to show Jesus as being lesser than the Father, or under the Father's authority.

For example, consider Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 11:3...

"But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God."

The JWs argue that because "the head of Christ is God," Jesus must not be divine! After all, if Jesus and the Father were equally divine, then this statement in 1 Corinthians 11:3 would be nonsensical. Obviously, God is greater than Jesus because God is a deity and Jesus is merely a created being. This is the argument made here and in many other places where Jesus is placed beneath the Father by the inspired authors of scripture.

So how do we answer this argument? It really is quite simple. In fact, if the JW turns to any verse where Jesus is placed beneath the Father, just turn them here to 1 Corinthians 11:3. The entire point can be answered here in this one verse, I believe. How so? Keep reading...

Is a woman any less human than a man?

Based on how the JWs use verses such as 1 Corinthians 11:3 to redefine the nature of Jesus, they are forced to also redefine the nature of woman. After all, a woman is beneath man in the same sense that Christ is beneath God. Just as man is the head of the woman, so also is the Father the head of Christ. Therefore, if this language demands that we strip Jesus of His divinity, then to be consistent we must also strip woman of her humanity.

So where does that leave women? What are they? Some kind of mutant? Oh, I know! Aliens! Are they on par with animals? Or maybe...if Jesus is less than the Father in that He (Jesus) is an angel, then maybe we ought to conclude that woman are angels. Hmmm. My wife might like that. Although that can't be true in light of Hebrews 2:7 because mankind is actually "a little lower than the angels."

Of course, I'm being a little absurd here. Couldn't you tell?

The fact is, in 1 Corinthians 11:3, Paul is not saying that women are less human than men or that Jesus is less divine than the Father. That's not the point. The apostle is addressing the issue of role distinction. Women and men are equally human, but they have different roles. Likewise, Jesus and the Father are equally divine and yet they, too, have different roles. Consider Philippians 2:5-8...

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

Jesus is equal to God and share's all of God's attributes (vs. 6; Heb. 1:3), and yet He embraced a role of submission to the Father, the greatest illustration of that submission being the cross!

Yes, there were many times during Jesus' life when He emphasized His subjection and obedience to the Father, where He stated that the Father was greater than Him (Jn. 14:28), etc. - but again, this point says NOTHING about His divine nature. As we learn in 1 Corinthians 11:3, there can be a hierarchy in which the various members have completely different roles, and yet they share the same nature. Case in point: men and women.

So put it to the JWs when they raise this objection. Ask them to explain what women are if they're not human. Seriously...what are they?

Click here to read the next article in this series.